Top 5 Shows

1) Friday night at MASS: The Unlikely Candidates with the Cut Throat Finches opening the show. Both bands blend rock, pop, and Americana influences into readily accessible, anthemic foot stompers, and as the saying goes, their respective frontmen – Kyle Morris in the Candidates and Sean Russell in CTF – “leave it all on stage.” Great stage presences, in other words, though that quotation suggests their clothes, limbs, or internal organs might fall off (or out, as the case may be) as the show heats up, which probably won’t happen in a literal sense, though I could see Russell tossing his hat into the crowd if it was one he didn’t care about losing. MASS also has a new sound system and lighting rig, so you’ll probably want to check that out and offer your assessment to the people you’re talking to while you’re at the bar waiting for drinks in between bands. The show is all-ages, $10 for 21+, $13 for minors. Here’s Cut Throat Finches’ Sean Russell covering a The The song:

2) Also on Friday: Lola’s Saloon (2736 W 6th St) is headlined by local psychedelic pop band the Hendersons, with openers Jake Paleshic (not sure what he sounds like now because it’s been awhile since I’ve seen him and he’s been working on shit with the Niles City Sound guys, but it’s probably country-influenced), and alt-rockers Picnic Lightning, as well as a full-band performance of Sur Duda, the non-War Party project of Cameron Smith. This Hendersons video makes me think they’d be a good opener for a band like the Black Angels. Who do you talk to in order to make that happen? Cover is $7.

3) Do I need to explain what kind of music Metalachi plays? Here’s a hint: their name is a portmanteau of the words metal and mariachi. At the end of this item is a video of them playing a cover of “Ace of Spades” on Good Day Lubbock (which is in itself an hilarious bit). Mariachi-fied versions of hard rock and metal are what they do, and they’ll be blasting through the classics at Shipping and Receiving (210 S Calhoun) on Saturday along with Leroy the Prophet, a heavy band that’s been around since Nu Metal was new. The all-ages show starts at 9pm and tickets are $15. Here’s that video. “Can you explain this genre?” asks the anchor lady. Hey anchor lady: EYEROLL EMOJI.

4) I went to Tom’s Daiquiri (1212 W Mulberry, Denton) last Sunday specifically to see High Art (the Fungi Girls side project), but the first band was called Silk Shaft and I thought they were pretty cool. Silk Shaft are a female-fronted punk trio; singer Priya Patel has a big voice, and I was definitely impressed with their songs, moreso given that it was apparently their second show ever. They’ll be playing again at Tom’s Daiquiri on Saturday, kicking off another punk bill starring the Noids, Thin Skin, and Oakland, CA-based punk duo Street Eaters (so be sure to bring cash to donate to their gas fund, because otherwise you’ll be grounded from Denton). Tom’s Daiquiri also has a pool table, and they serve beer in addition to daiquiris, should the thought of a frozen, fruit-flavored liquor slushy sound unappealing, though I have a hard time imagining why, seeing as how it’s starting to get fucking hot outside. Doors are at 8, and the show starts at 9. Watch this Street Eaters video; they’re pretty legit:

5) Need something to do after your post-brunch nap on Sunday? How about popping into MASS for a free show? Starting at 5pm, catch solo sets from Sur Duda, Oil Boom frontman Ryan Taylor (playing his first solo set EVER), and “King of Song Style” Kevin Aldridge. You can even bring your dog, because all three of those dudes love dogs, and they’ve probably performed their intended setlists in front of their own dogs at home – they know how to play to their audiences, in other words. Here’s Sublime playing a song called “I Love My Dog” in 1995; the audience totally eats it up!

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